# REPLICATION FILES FROM "Statistical discrimination or prejudice? A large sample field experiment"
	* Last update: 6/4/14
	* Author contact: Choon Wang, wchoon@gmail.com

# DESCRIPTION

	This readme describes the steps to replicate the paper.    Stata version 10 and above is assumed to be available for replication.

# STEPS TO REPLICATION

	With all the files contained herein, begin with the do file "mainRegressions.do."  This will create Tables 2 - 8.  Next, one can run craigslist_stat.do to get the results of Table 1.
 
# FILES DESCRIPTION

	README.txt: this file.

	mainRegressions.do: the main do file to create most of the Tables from the paper.   Creates Tables 2 - 8 in the paper.
	
	mainData.dta: the main data in Stata format from the field experiment.
	
	mainData.csv: the main data in csv format from the field experiment.
	
	april_2009_economy.dta: the Stata dta file to load and analyze the Pews Spring Tracking Survey 2009.  
	
	april_2009_economy.csv: the csv file to load and analyze the Pews Spring Tracking Survey 2009.  
	
	craiglist_stat.do: do file loads Pews survey data and generate summary statistics reported in Table 1 of the article. Creates Table 1 in the paper.
	
	pewsDescription.txt: the variable description of the 'april_2009_economy.dta' file.
	
	Pews_April_2009_Economy_Topline.doc: Word document describing the Pews survey.
	
# DATA FILES

	--------
	# Main data: mainData
	
		# Variables
		
		id: id number
		city: the city where the apartment located
		neighborhood_id: random id generated for the census tract (or metropolitan area)
		rent: the rent reported on the Craigslist posting
		rent2: the rent squared
		ave_ngbrhd_rent: average of rents in the neighborhood
		one_bed: dummy variable for whether apartment is 1-bedroom (remaining are studios)
		sex: gender of the applicant sent by researcher
		race: race of the applicant sent by the researcher
		first_name: first name of the applicant sent by the researcher
		last_name: last name of the applicant sent by the researcher
		first_meduc: mean education of the mother approximated by the first name
		first_name_freq1990: frequency of the first name in the 1990 census
		muslim: is the first name Muslim-sounding?
		rarename: dummy variable for whether the first name is rare
		info_nil: is the treatment of the email "No information"
		info_pos: is the treatment of the email "Positive information"
		info_neg: is the treatment of the email "Negative information"
		weekend: was the email sent on the weekend?
		pctmales: the fraction of men in the neighborhood
		pctblack: the fraction of the neighborhood that is black [see Census data description below]
		pctblack_city: the fraction of the city that is black
		responded: dummy variable for whether the landlord responded to the email
		pos_resp: dummy variable for whether the response was positive
		pos_resp1: dummy variable for whether the response was "available" or an ambivalent yes
		pos_resp2: dummy variable for whether the response was "available" or an ambivalent yes or "if yes"
		pos_resp3: dummy variable for whether the response was "available" or an ambivalent yes or "if yes" or need more info
		rel_rent: The ratio of the rent to the average rent of the neighborhood
		rel_rent2: The ratio above of the rent above but squared
		male: a dummy variable for whether the applicant sent by the researcher is male
		female: a dummy variable for whether the applicant sent by the researcher is female
		white: a dummy variable for whether the applicant sent by the researcher is white
		black: a dummy variable for whether the applicant sent by the researcher is black
		blackXpct: the interaction of the black dummy and the fraction of the neighborhood that is black
		blackXinfo_pos: the interaction of the black dummy and the dummy for positive information in the email
		blackXinfo_neg: the interaction of the black dummy and the dummy for negative information in the email
		blackXpctXinfo_pos: the interaction between the black dummy the percent black in the neighborhood and the dummy for positive information in the email
		blackXpctXinfo_neg: the interaction between the black dummy the percent black in the neighborhood and the dummy for negative information in the email
		treatment_id: 
		
		------
		# Pew Survey data: april_2009_economy.dta
		
			# Variables
			
		The variables in this file are extensive and designed by the Pews survey.  The Stata command 'desc' provides the variable descriptions.
		
		-------

		
		-------
		# CENSUS DATA
		
		The variables "pctmales" and "pctblack" were found using the location of the apartment and the Census data.  For those postings where an address was available, we identified its census tract using GIS data.  The ACS 2009 demographics for that census tract were merged. The data is available here:
		
		https://usa.ipums.org/usa/
		
Some postings lacked a specific address and may have said a cross-street or simply a neighborhood.  When GIS info is missing, we replaced pctblack and pctmale with CENSUS 2000 metropolitan area level information about "pctblack" and "pctmale":
		
https://www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html		
	
		with a full reference in the published paper.	


			
# REFERENCES

